Mausoleums are usually stone buildings, either above or below the ground, that provide entombment of the dead which are first placed into coffins or caskets. As part of mausoleum structures, the coffins are typically placed into crypts or vaults. The vaults are compartments formed by the walls and floors of the mausoleum itself. The walls of the vaults have provisions to accommodate the insertion of piping or conduits which serve as air and drain vents. The cost of constructing a stone mausoleum having the integral compartments is usually high. Also, the time required for such construction is usually quite long. It is desired that means be provided to reduce the cost and time required for such mausoleum construction, while at the same time providing for the proper entombment of the dead.
After a corpse is placed in the vault of the mausoleum, the body begins a decomposition process giving off liquid and gases. The mausoleums are commonly provided with air vents to remove decomposition gases from the vault and drain vents to remove decomposition fluids and to direct them into the earth.
In recent times it has become readily apparent that the environmental impact of mausoleums related to the removal of the decomposition gases and fluids must be taken into account. In particular, it is important that the odors created by the decomposition liquid and gases be controlled and also reduced as much as possible before their release into the atmosphere or into the surface of the earth.